Three Wise Men
by dwparsnip
Summary: It's Torren's first Christmas, and John, Rodney and Ronon get him gifts. A team oriented Christmas fic.


Here we go…a little team oriented Christmas fic. I hope you enjoy it.

Stargate and its characters are owned by MGM, not me. It hasn't been run through a beta, so all mistakes are my responsibility, and there are most likely a few.

No real spoilers that I can think of. Any feedback is appreciated.

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Teyla stood silently next to the crib in her quarters and regarded her sleeping son. He was a very peaceful and deep sleeper once he actually got to sleep. The trick, as everyone in Atlantis had come to learn, was actually getting him to close his eyes long enough to fall asleep. She smiled lovingly as she reached down and adjusted the fur trimmed blanket that had become his favorite, and then leaned down to kiss the little boy's head. When she straightened up she turned and, with a silence that had been born of years of practice, walked out into the living room. When she reached the nearby lounge chair, she sat down in it heavily, a soft groan escaping her lips as she did so.

She tilted her head back and gratefully rested it against the high back of the chair for a moment. She was not used to having solitude at this time of night. Either Torren would be awake or Kanan would be with her, not that she really minded either of those situations, but there were times when she simply wanted to be by herself. And now, with Torren finally, and hopefully, sound asleep and Kanan having volunteered to assist in the control room, she was all by herself.

A smile came to her lips and her heart swelled with pride in Kanan. Once he understood the rituals involved with Christmas and how much it meant to many of the people of Atlantis, he made himself available to help man the control room and let one of the regular techs have Christmas Eve off. She was concerned that perhaps Mr. Woolsey would frown upon the idea, but to her genuine and pleasant surprise he did not.

Her head slowly rolled forward and her eyes fell to the tablet that had been waiting patiently for her. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she remembered John giving it to her earlier that day and asking if she could review some of the performance reviews he'd written.

She could certainly understand the value of such reports, but the sheer volume of them and the amount of time it took to do even one of them was ridiculous.

_Still,_ she thought as she reached over and retrieved the tablet, _I did promise him that I would do it._

She had just gotten the tablet powered up when the door chime announced that she had a visitor. She replaced the tablet on the table and regretfully got up out of the cozy chair and walked over to the door. With a wave of her hand over the sensor, the door slid open to reveal Ronon framed in the doorway. He was in his usual garb and holding what appeared to be a small box wrapped in blue paper in his right hand.

"Ronon," Teyla said with a smile that was as real as the surprise she'd felt at finding him at her door.

"This is for Torren," announced Ronon as his arm shot out towards her.

Her brow creased and she tentatively reached over to take the small box in her hand. "Ronon, I do not understand."

"It's Christmas, isn't it?" he asked, his voice rough with uncertainty.

"Yes it is," replied Teyla with a nod. "But we do not…"

"Sheppard said I had to get him a gift," said Ronon with a shrug of his massive shoulders. "He said Christmas is supposed to be for kids."

She remained silent for a moment, wondering exactly how she could argue against that logic. In the end she decided that she couldn't and nodded gratefully at Ronon. "Thank you, Ronon." She indicated her quarters with a quick glance and said, "Torren is asleep and Kanan is in the control room, but would you like to come in for a moment?"

"No," Ronon said quietly, now aware that Torren was asleep and, knowing the trouble Teyla usually had in getting the child to sleep, afraid that he would wake him up. "I have to go and do something."

"Very well," Teyla said, the disappointment in her voice easily discernable. She froze for an instant, somewhat amused that only a few moments earlier that she had been craving solitude but now she wished for company. She stepped towards the big man and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a warm hug. "Thank you again," she whispered next his ear as his arms went around her waist.

"You're welcome," replied Ronon just as quietly. He released her quickly and looked down into her eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes you will," she replied. "Good night, Ronon."

Ronon nodded and then turned around and walked down the hall. When he was out of her sight she turned around and walked back to the chair she had abandoned earlier and sat down. She regarded the box in her hand curiously and was about to open it when John's explanation of Christmas, given to her years earlier, echoed in her mind. _The surprise of Christmas morning, _he had said, _is what it's all about. Kids wake up and find all sorts of wrapped presents under the tree and have fun ripping the paper off to get to the gifts. It's all about the surprise._

She smiled at the child like exuberance that had been about John that day, and she leaned over to place the gift on the table. She would not open it now; instead she would wait and let Torren open it in the morning.

She shook her head in amazement of the situation and picked the tablet up again. She managed to get through three of the evaluations before the door chime sounded again.

She asked herself who it could possibly be as she lifted herself from the chair, and if she had been surprised before to find Ronon standing at her door, she was absolutely shocked to find Rodney there this time.

"Hello, Rodney," she said, barely able to keep her surprise from her voice. "Is there something wrong?"

"Wrong?" repeated Rodney inquisitively. He quickly shook his head and said, "No, nothing, nothing at all."

Teyla could see that Rodney was uncomfortable, or at the very least unsure of himself, though she could not think of any reason that he should have been. In such instances, she had discovered that the best way to deal with Rodney was to wait patiently for him to continue.

"Tonight is Christmas Eve," he announced, and at Teyla's affirming nod he added quickly, "of course you know that. You've been with us for five years and you know what Christmas is and what's it's about and what we do." Rodney stopped and took a deep breath. "Well, I know we've never gotten anything for each other, the team I mean, not 'we' as in me and you, I mean why would we?" He stopped again and sighed. "This year I thought…that is Jennifer asked me if I had anything for Torren. I didn't, but then I thought that maybe I should, you know, seeing as how I was the first person to see him and he's **your** son and it's his first Christmas." Rodney shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "So I got this for him." He held out his right hand, and in his hand was a small box about the same size as the one Ronon had delivered wrapped in plain gold colored paper.

Teyla reached over and took the gift in her hand. "Thank you very much, Rodney," she said softly, afraid to speak too loudly lest the emotions she was feeling show in her voice and make Rodney even more uncomfortable than he already appeared to be. "Torren is asleep right now, but I will make sure that he opens it in the morning."

Teyla couldn't help but notice the flash of disappointment in his eyes. "Rodney?" she prodded gently.

"What?" he said out of habit. "Oh, nothing. It's just…I was hoping that he'd be able to open it tonight."

"John told me that Christmas gifts should be opened on Christmas morning," she said carefully. "Is that not so?"

Rodney's cheeks began to turn a little red as he stammered, "What? Well, yes, that's how it's supposed to work. But some people open one or two gifts the night before just, you know, so the curiosity doesn't get too much."

Teyla nodded in understanding.

"But if he's asleep it's good." Rodney lifted his eyebrows and said, "He can't be curious if he's asleep, right?"

Teyla laughed softly and shook her head. "No he can not. Would you like to come…?"

"No, no, no," said Rodney with a rapid shake of his hands. "I wouldn't want to impose or risk waking Torren up." Teyla was about to ask if he was sure but he cut her off by saying, "And I have to meet Jennifer in a little while."

"Of course," she said with a smile. She reached over and repeated the same motions with Rodney that she had done with Ronon a short time ago, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Rodney."

Rodney hugged her back and said, "You're welcome. Merry Christmas, Teyla."

Teyla released Rodney and gave him a bright smile. "Merry Christmas, Rodney." As an afterthought she added, "And give my best to Jennifer as well."

Rodney nodded eagerly. "I will. Good night."

"Good night, Rodney," she replied as Rodney turned and walked away.

She watched her teammate and good friend walk down the hall and marveled at what had just happened. She turned around for the second time in as many hours and quietly made her way back to her chair. She eased herself down into it and sighed happily. Rodney had always been the least forthcoming of her friends, and she had always lamented what he had been missing because if it. To see him take a step such as the one he had just taken, a step of growth and friendship, filled her with joy.

She smiled at the box in her hand and leaned over to place it next to the gift Ronon had dropped off, and sparing the twin presents one last smile she leaned back and tried to get through John's evaluations.

She hacked her way through another eight evaluations when the door chime interrupted her again. She glanced at the clock as she got up and was surprised to see that it was almost twenty-three hundred hours. She moved swiftly yet silently towards the door and passed her hand over the sensor once again. This time, she wasn't overly surprised to see John standing in the doorway, a full fledged smile upon his face and a gift in his hand.

John held up the box, smaller than both Ronon and Rodney's and wrapped in bright red paper, and said with a smile, "Merry Christmas, Teyla." He peered past her shoulders and nodded as if confirming to himself what he had assumed. "Torren is asleep so I won't stay." He passed the gift over to Teyla. "Just give him that in the morning."

"You are not disappointed that he can not open to tonight?" asked Teyla.

Sheppard looked confused for a moment, but then his eyes opened wide for a split second before narrowing suspiciously. "Rodney was here wasn't he?" When Teyla smiled and nodded he asked, "Did he…"

"Torren was asleep then as well," Teyla interjected, and she turned to glance at Ronon and Rodney's gifts on the table. "As you can see," she said as she turned back to John, "all of his gifts are intact."

Sheppard gave her a resolute nod. "Good. Can't have McKay ruining Torren's first Christmas now can we?"

Teyla laughed and shook her head. "Are you sure you will not come…?"

"No," said Sheppard. He pointed inside and said, "You go and relax. I'll see you in the morning."

"John?" When Sheppard looked at her expectantly she said, "Thank you." As she had done with her other teammates, Teyla reached over and pulled John into a tender embrace. "Merry Christmas, John."

Sheppard gave her a gentle squeeze around her waist. "Merry Christmas, Teyla." He let go of her and stepped back. "Good night."

"Good night," she said to his retreating form. When Sheppard was gone she moved back inside her quarters and once again lowered herself into her chair. She studied the gift in her hand, then leaned over and placed it next to the gifts given to Torren by Ronon and Rodney.

She turned enough to be able to check on Torren through the bedroom door, and not for the first time since her son's birth she thanked the Ancients that her son had the best family she ever could have hoped for.

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"Fancy meeting you here," announced Sheppard as he walked along the pier. The night was warm and the sky was clear, littered as it was with thousands of stars all shining brightly.

Rodney and Ronon were sitting on the edge of the pier, their legs dangling down over the side of Atlantis herself. They were in the exact same spot where months earlier he and Rodney had sat after a frantic Rodney, under the influence of an alien parasite, pounded on Sheppard's door in the middle of the night. As he had been on that night, he was the beer supplier.

He handed Ronon a can of his favorite beer and then passed one to Rodney before sitting down to Rodney's left and opening his own can. He regarded the frothy spillage on the top of the can for a second and then raised his beer into the air in front of him. "Merry Christmas you two."

Ronon and Rodney echoed their friend's toast and lifted the cans to their lips. After several sips John looked over and gave his friends a once over. "What did you get Torren for Christmas?"

Rodney turned to Ronon, who glared back at Rodney. After a moment Rodney gave a relenting sigh and looked to Sheppard. "I had no idea what to get, until I ran into Halling and mentioned it to him. He said a common gift for Athosian children Torren's age was something called Muntandan. Apparently it's some sort of bubble bath, but the bubbles change color with how excited the kid gets."

John's eyebrows rose in appreciation. "That actually sounds pretty cool."

Rodney rolled his eyes, and before lifting his can of beer to his lips again he said, "Try not to sound so surprised, Colonel."

Instead of debating with Rodney about just how cool he was, or wasn't, John turned to Ronon. "How about you, Ronon? What did you get little Torren John?"

Ronon shrugged his shoulders as though he didn't want to say, but after a brief hesitation he said, "Florevin." Rodney and Sheppard gave him blank looks so he explained, "On Sateda it's something you burn to keep evil away. I gave my last piece to Torren."

John shared a knowing look with Rodney. "That's pretty cool, too," he said, his voice subdued and somber.

"What about you, Sheppard?" asked Rodney almost cheerfully in an obvious attempt to lighten the suddenly sullen mood.

Sheppard glanced past Rodney to Ronon who flashed a brief smile at McKay. Sheppard looked to Rodney as well and said, "I gave him my gold wings."

Rodney shot a look to Ronon and then said as he turned to Sheppard, "The gold wings you got when they promoted you?"

Sheppard nodded. The gold wings were a gift from General O'Neill when he received his promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel, but he thought the General wouldn't mind if he gave them to Torren. In fact, he thought the General would be very happy about it.

"That's cool, too," said Ronon.

Sheppard gave Ronon a grateful nod and then noticed Rodney smiling and shaking his head.

"What is it, Rodney?" he asked.

Rodney mumbled something as he lifted his can to his lips again.

"What was that?" Sheppard asked when the can muffled whatever it was the Canadian had said.

Rodney placed his now empty can next to him on Atlantis' superstructure. "You gave him gold, I gave him Muntandan, which is like an oil, and Ronon gave him Florevin, which if I understand correctly, and I usually do, is like incense."

"So?" asked Ronon, his voice tinged with that odd mixture of irritation and ambivalence that Rodney often elicited from him.

He pointed to Sheppard and said, "Gold," then he turned his thumb to Ronon, "frankincense," and then he pointed to himself, "and myrrh." He laughed and then looked up into the clear night sky. "We're the Three Wise Men."

After a second Rodney turned slowly to Sheppard, whose face was slowly breaking into a wide grin, and when their eyes met the two men broke out in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. It took several minutes for Sheppard to calm down enough to explain to Ronon what Rodney was talking about. By the time Sheppard had finished explaining it to Ronon, Rodney's laughter had only barely subsided into sporadic chuckles.

Ronon shrugged his shoulders once again. "Whatever."

Sheppard shook his head and said, "Spoilsport," and then shook his head again when Ronon gave him a smirk.

The three of them fell silent until it occurred to Sheppard to ask, "Does that make Torren," he looked to Rodney, "special? That maybe he has a destiny or something?"

Rodney shrugged his shoulders. "Well, there are those that would say that his birth was a miracle. Who knows?"

John turned his attention to the sky. "Who knows?" he repeated softly.

"Well," said Rodney a moment later, "I gotta go." He gave Ronon an awkward and hesitant look then said to them both, "I promised Jennifer we'd bring in Christmas together."

Sheppard watched Ronon intently, but to his relief there was no indication from the big man that that bothered him. He shouldn't have been surprised, he supposed. They had all been through more than enough to know that nobody won them all.

Rodney turned fully towards Ronon and held his hand out to him. "Merry Christmas, Ronon."

Both men were well aware of the last time they'd shook hands- in the training room when Rodney had gone to seek out Ronon to ask if he'd had any romantic intentions towards Jennifer.

Ronon reached up without hesitation and shook McKay's hand. "You too, McKay."

Rodney nodded and let go of Ronon's hand, then he turned to Sheppard and held his hand out again. As Sheppard reached up to shake it Rodney said, "Merry Christmas, John."

"Merry Christmas, Rodney," said Sheppard with a smile.

Rodney gave the two men a nod and started walking away. Sheppard shimmied over closer to Ronon and said as he raised his can of beer to his mouth, "He's whipped." He began taking a particularly large gulp of beer when Rodney's voice reached him.

"Not tonight I hope…my back still hurts from the last time."

_I gotta stop bringing beer up here,_ thought Sheppard as the ludicrousness and surprise of Rodney's wily retort made beer shoot from his mouth and nose.

As he wiped the beer from his chin and lips, he couldn't decide who was laughing harder- Ronon or Rodney.

Or himself.

And, he realized as one of the many stars in the sky before him suddenly shone a little brighter, it didn't really matter.


End file.
